A Week in Tuscany

A Week in Tuscany with Armando

You’ll be based in Vinci (25 miles West of Florence), birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci and town where Armando lives.
Armando will arrange you daily excursions to make you experience the famous Tuscany Region, with its fascinating landscapes and cities.
The private vacation is intended for individuals, families and small groups, off the beaten tracks and away from the crowded routes (the below itinerary is flexible and it can be modified on the base of clients’ interests).

Day 1st – Vinci: morning, pick up from Leonardo Da Vinci Rome Airport, transfer to Tuscany, and check into your holyday farm, or Bed & Breakfast in Vinci (see the accommodation options below); we’ll then start to discover the “City” of Vinci, Comune of Metropolitan City of Florence, in a beautiful countryside with magnificent vineyards (Chianti wine is produced in this area) and olive groves. The town is famous as the birth place of the of Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The restored 13th Century Castle of the Guidi houses the Museo Leonardiano that contains numerous models of machines invented by Leonardo, exhibited beside facsimiles of his drawings. Next door is the Biblioteca Leonardiana, a library relating to Leonardo. We’ll also visit the nearby Church of Santa Croce which preserves the font in which Leonardo was baptised. Last stop will be at the Casa Natale di Leonardo, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. Then time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

Day 2nd – Florence: after a good breakfast Armando will get you to Florence, most famous city of Tuscany Region, birthplace of the Renaissance, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The city is renowned for its culture, art, architecture and monuments.
We’ll start our private tour with a visit to the Dumo, main church of Florence, then to the Battistero (outside, to see its famous bronze gates); we’ll continue with a visit to the Gallery of the Academy of Florence that house the famous David by Michelangelo; then to Santa Croce Church, where Michelangelo, Galileo and other Italian glories were buried. After lunch in a typical restaurant we’ll visit to the Uffizi Gallery, one of the most important Italian museums, it holds a collection of priceless artworks, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance. We’ll then walk the Signoria square, with its open air collection of famous statues, and Palazzo della Signoria; last stop will be at the Old Bridge, Ponte Vecchio, over the Arno River. Then back to your hotel, time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

Day 3rd – Lucca & Pistoia: after a good breakfast Armando will get you to Lucca, an indipendent Republic for almost 500 years, we’ll visit its beautiful historic center surrounded by intact Renaissance-era city walls, with its Romanesque Cathedral of San Martino and its famous Piazza Anfiteatro;after lunch in a typical restaurant we’ll drive to Pistoia, capital of a province of the same name, it is a typical Italian medieval city, where we’ll visit its historic center including the Cathedral of San Zeno, its Baptistery, and the Bishop’s Palace. Then back to your hotel, time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

Day 4th – Siena & San Gimignano: after a good breakfast Armando will get you to Siena, most important city in Tuscany after Florence, Siena, located in the central part of Tuscany Region, in the middle of a vast hilly landscape, its historic center has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site; we will visit the Cathedral (Duomo), begun in the 12th century, is a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture; then we’ll continue our tour with a visit to The Piazza del Campo, the shell-shaped town square, where we’ll visit Palazzo Pubblico, a great work of architecture itself with its tall tower, it houses an important art museum (masterpieces by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti); lunch in a typical restaurant, then we’ll drive to Sangimignano, a small walled medieval hilltop town, known as the Town of Fine Towers, it is famous for its medieval architecture and with its encircling walls forms “an unforgettable skyline” visit of the historic center, time for shopping. Then back to your hotel, time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

Day 5th – Val d’Orcia: after a good breakfast Armando will get you to Val d’Orcia, a region of Tuscany, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages. We’ll first visit Montepulciano, a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune, Montepulciano is a major producer of food and drink. Renowned for its pork, cheese, “pici” pasta, lentils, and honey, it is known world-wide for its wine, connoisseurs consider its Vino Nobile among Italy’s best; time for sightseeing and wine tasting in a unique wine cellar. We’ll then continue our tour with a visit to Pienza: a town and comune in the province of Siena, Pienza is the “touchstone of Renaissance urbanism”; time for lunch and sightseeing. Next stop in our Tuscany private tour will be Montalcino: another beautiful hilltop town, famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine; the lower slopes of the Montalcino hill itself are dominated by highly productive vines and olive orchards; time for wine tasting. Our last stop will be at the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, a former Benedictine monastery in the comune of Montalcino, that together with its surrounding landscape forms one of the most beautiful “pictures” of Tuscany. Then back to your hotel, time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

Day 6th – Pisa & Viareggio: after a good breakfast Armando will get you to Pisa, although the City is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city’s cathedral), the city contains more than 20 other historic churches, several medieval palaces and various bridges across the Arno; much of the city’s architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics; visit to the monumental complex of Piazza dei Miracoli: Cathedral, Bell Tower, Baptistery, and Cemetery. We’ll then drive to Viareggio, a city and comune in northern Tuscany, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea; the city traces its roots back to the first half of the 16th century when it became the only gate to the sea for the Republic of Lucca; Viareggio extends over the coastal flooding plain of Versilia, with its 10 kilometres of sandy beaches, since the beginning of the 20th century saw a marked development of the coast and tourism industry; the Passeggiata or promenade was born, with its cafés and shops, contributing to turning the city into the “Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea”; time for lunch, walks and shopping. Then back to your hotel, time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

Day 7th – Chianti Wine District: after a good breakfast Armando will get you to Chianti, where we’ll discover the fine wines of Chianti! We will tour the vineyards and wine cellar of farms in the heart of the “Chianti Classico” wine area, receiving an up close look at the production and ageing process of the Chianti wines and also learning about the secret of the extra virgin olive oil making. This wonderful experience will include a wine tasting and the opportunity to buy some of the best Tuscan wines. Well also visit the main hilltop towns in the area such as Greve, Radda, Castellina and Gaiole. Then back to your hotel, time for leisure and dinner in a typical restaurant.

The above itinerary is ideal for a couple, as well as for a family with children, or for a small group of people (friends/family), and it can be modified on the base of client’s interests; also it is possible to make a shorter vacation (minimum 3 days).